Originally Posted by climbo
In poor weather especially, fixies go on and on for much longer whereas gears can get gunked up easily and stop working properly, get poor shifting etc.
I think this is the main factor. It rarely rains and never snows here, so derailers, brakes, cables, etc. all work better for longer with less maintenance. I can see how a deralier and brakes in snowy nasty weather could be a nightmare.
Al